Hi, people! My name is Aizhan. I think the
place we were born is special for each one of us, with good and not so good
things to remember. And thus for me
Karaganda is the most wonderful city of Kazakhstan. It is the capital of Karagandy Province and
the large industrial, academic and cultural center of Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty, Astana, Shymkent with a population of
446,200 (as of 1 January 2006).
The name
"Karagandy" is derived from a caragana bushes which are abundant in the area.
The original site of Karaganda is now labeled on city maps as the "Old
Town," but almost nothing remains on that site. In exploiting the rich
coal deposits, the Soviets undermined the entire city, and the town had to be
abandoned completely and moved several miles to the south.
Karaganda is
an industrial city, built to exploit nearby coal mines using the slave work of prisoners of labor camps. Commercial extraction of coal continues
to be an important activity in the region even today. In the early 1990s, it
was briefly considered as a candidate for the capital of the (then) recently
independent Republic of Kazakhstan, but its bid was turned down in favor of Astana.
Now I’m out
of my native town and I miss it greatly and appreciate every little thing about
it. I really miss my family and friends, our beautiful parks and alleys, tall
buildings and unique people of my sweet home.
